METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRACKING USAGE OF AN ITEM WITHIN A STORAGE UNIT USING LOCATION SENSORS

• US 20080052201A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Watt, Stephen James, Bodin, William Kress, Masterson, Michael Lee
• Application Number:
  US11/467,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052201A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and computer usable program product for identifying a usage of an item in a storage unit. The process identifies an item in the storage unit to form an identified item. The process determines a location of the identified item based on location data received from a set of location sensors. The process associates the identified item with a current mass, wherein the current mass of the identified item is calculated based on mass data received from a set of mass sensors associated with the location of the identified item; and the process determines a depletion of the identified item based on the current mass and a non-depleted mass for the identified item.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for identifying a usage of an item in a storage unit, the computer implemented method comprising:

identifying an item in the storage unit to form an identified item;

determining a location of the identified item based on location data received from a set of location sensors;

associating the identified item with a current mass, wherein the current mass of the identified item is calculated based on mass data associated with the location of the identified item; and

determining a depletion of the identified item based on the current mass and a non-depleted mass for the identified item.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein determining the location of the item further comprises:

triangulating location data received from two or more location sensors to locate the identified item in the storage unit.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 wherein location data comprises radio frequency signals transmitted by a radio frequency identification tag associated with the identified item.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the storage unit is selected from a group consisting of a refrigeration unit, a pantry, a cupboard, a set of shelves, an oven, and a cabinet.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the depletion of the identified item is determined by subtracting the current mass of the identified item from a non-depleted mass of the identified item.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the mass data is data received from a set of mass sensors associated with a mass sensor shelf.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the mass data is data received from a single mass sensor associated with a mass sensor shelf.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether a current mass of the identified item is greater than a non-depleted mass for the identified item.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

responsive to determining that a current mass of the identified item is greater than a non-depleted mass for the identified item, generating an alert to a user.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 8 wherein generating an alert further comprises:

prompting the user to identify the item via a user interface.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to the depletion of the identified item exceeding a threshold depletion, generating a notification to a user.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 10 wherein generating a notification to the user further comprises:

adding the identified item to a list of items to be ordered from a service provider for delivery.

13. An apparatus for identifying a usage of an item in a storage unit, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface;

a set of tag readers; and

a controller, wherein the controller further comprises;

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains a computer usable program product; and

a processor unit, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program product to identify an item in the storage unit to form an identified item;

determine a location of the identified item based on location data received from a set of location sensors;

associate the identified item with a current mass, wherein the current mass of the identified item is calculated based on mass data received from a set of mass sensors associated with the location of the identified item; and

determine a depletion of the identified item based on the current mass and a non-depleted mass for the identified item.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein in executing the computer usable program code to determine the location of the item, the processor unit executes the computer usable program product to triangulate location data received from two or more location sensors to locate the identified item in the storage unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein location data comprises radio frequency signals transmitted by a Radio Frequency Identification tag associated with the identified item.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the storage unit is selected from a group consisting of a refrigeration unit, a pantry, a cupboard, a set of shelves, an oven, and a cabinet.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the depletion of the identified item is determined by subtracting the current mass of the identified item from a non-depleted mass of the identified item.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for identifying a usage of an item in a storage unit, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for identifying an item in the storage unit to form an identified item;

computer usable program code for determining a location of the identified item based on location data received from a set of location sensors;

computer usable program code for associating the identified item with a current mass, wherein the current mass of the identified item is calculated based on mass data received from a set of mass sensors associated with the location of the identified item; and

computer usable program code for determining a depletion of the identified item based on the current mass and a non-depleted mass for the identified item.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the storage unit is selected from a group consisting of a refrigeration unit, a pantry, a cupboard, a set of shelves, an oven, and a cabinet.

20. A system for monitoring a usage of an item, the system comprising:

at least one item identifier, wherein the at least one item identifier identifies an item to be placed on a mass sensor shelf based on an identification code associated with the item to form an identified item;

a set of location sensors, wherein the set of location sensors generate location data regarding the location of the identified item on the mass sensor shelf;

a control unit, wherein the control unit identifies a location of the identified item based on the location data; and

at least one mass sensor shelf, wherein the at least one mass sensor shelf detects a change in mass sensor data associated with the location of the identified item to form a current mass, and wherein the control unit determines a current depletion for the identified item by subtracting the current mass from a non-depleted mass for the identified item.